Benevolent Quotations

I can excuse everything but boredom.  Boring people don't have to stay that way. from:  Hedy Lamarr   Actress , Inventor Hedy Lamarr has been a wonder to me since I found out that she was an inventor.  She didn't fit into one box.  She was a beautiful actress, creative person, and serial bride.   Hedy also said, "I don't have to work on ideas, they come naturally."  This is an interesting concept.  Would this mindset work for everyone?  Are some people more creative than others?  Survey says:  YES.  But WHY are they more creative?  Have less creative people been taught not to see how to improve things?  Do they lack confidence in their abilities and ideas?  At least for some people, I believe this is true.  A little confidence goes a long way. Hedy's success seems to stem from the fact that she doesn't seem to have been constrained by convention, but the question is 'why?'.  She was fortuito...

The injunction to be nice is used to deflect criticism and stifle the legitimate anger of dissent. from: Malcom Gladwell    Author of The Outliers Of of the personal functions of this blog is to write out the thoughts in my head.  While not every thought is important nor suitable for publication, I get an opportunity to reflect and reconsider. Several posts ago, I wrote about sarcasm and wit .  Upon reflection, I have a caveat to that post:  Don't step on someone's bliss and don't be a bully.  In the previous post, I went to Churchill's "you will still be ugly" quote, but that quote was a response to a bully.   If a person is doing his or her own thing and it is not hurting anyone, don't be mean.  In the words of Mann and Weil:      Nobody can tell you there's only one song worth singin'      They might try to sell ya 'cause it hangs them up to see someone like you         ...

The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.  I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.  I shall use my time. from:  Jack London Today, I prolonged my day. I have a story to structure and a teaching book to write.  I have a blog to update and a lesson to plan. I have a body to exercise and a home to organize. Yet, I played an inconsequential computer game first thing in the morning. How does wasting time help?  Everyone needs to relax, so if playing computer games is a "need," then why to I feel guilty.  Universities recommend it .  It is unhealthy as stress increases cortisol levels which may result in symptoms of weight gain, heart issues, lower immune function, etc.   Even the Pomodoro Method includes five minutes of rest after every 25 minutes of studying. I tell students to plan their relaxation time.  I suggest to parents that their children should be in outside, non-academic activities.  And yet, when I...

Think before you speak.  Read before you think. from:  Fran Lebowitz , Author of one of my favorite books:  Fran Lebowitz Reader I also love her quote, "polite conversation is rarely either." At the same time as I started writing daily, even if it only this blog on a given day, I started exercising.  The paunch had become too big.  The sense of tiredness had become too pervasive.  The lack of a "productive" morning habit had led to wasting time.  At 54 years old, I don't have time to waste. I walk for exercise.  You know you are old when walking is a cardiovascular exercise.  Most of the time I walk on the dangerous streets of Bangkok.  They are not dangerous because of crime or motorcycles riding on the sidewalk (although the later used to be the case), but rather because the sidewalks are so uneven or blocked.  I have numerous younger friends who run on the streets and end up face-planting due to catching their sneaker on a...

All Beginnings are hard. . . . And sometimes I add what I have learned on my own:  "Especially a beginning that you make for yourself.  That's the hardest beginning of all." from: Chaim P ot ok , from In the Beginning Christmas.  Last week was hard.  Overworked, underslept, exposed to too much drama, and lost so much weight that I need to find my old pants. The week completed and, frankly, it is a let down.  The freedom of having a long list of work looks kind of good right now.  I have to plan this upcoming week; It is a time to begin again.  And the big question is, "Where to start?" My angelic side is cooing into my ear, "Get the story organized, you can work on the student skills book, there is sorting of little-used and useless stuff to happen, and the ironing, sweetie." My demonic side is growling, "You worked hard last week, we need a day off, the hard drive is full of TV shows to catch up on and the boxed wine is chilled." ...

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. from: Milton Berle (Maybe, don't care) Normally I research ( not real "research," just internet research ) the crap out of my quotes.  But not today.  Milton Berle's "quote" came up on a number of quotation websites so I am using it "as is" because I have to GSD !  I have to grow my future. The pollen of this drive to GSD came (again) this morning while out walking.  I was listening to the wonderful Terry Gross on NPR interview Annette Bening .  In her movie "20th Century Women," an essay is mentioned. The title of the essay is "It Hurts to be Alive and Obsolete" and just the title struck me.  I researched that essay and found out it is about middle-aged women.  But the title applies to any marginalized group/person.  This reminds me something that was said in a self-improvement class I went to long ago.  The speaker pronounced "What people want is to be useful."  T...

I know you do.  Specifically, though, you lack the ability to handle ordinary people-shall we say, stupid people.  You lack a certain deviousness, a certain ability to sidestep, and if you are dealing with someone who is both powerful in government and somewhat stupid, you can easily endanger the Project and, for that matter, your own life, simply because you are too frank. from: Hari Seldon, talking to Tamwile Elar     Issac Azimov,    Forward the Foundation   I have a problem.  Well, I have many problems, but for today I am focusing on bluntness.  I definitely have a lack of political facility as I speak my mind before I think about how it'll affect things.  I definitely afflict myself with my attitude of not suffering fools gladly.  Oh yes, and I don't think about the people aspect enough when making "suggestions" for changes in things.  "You should" and "we should" absolutely flow from my mouth too much, both in spe...

Frodo:  "I wish the ring had never come to me." Gandalf:  "So do all who live in such times, but that is not for them to decide.  All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." from: J.R.R. Tolkien ,    Fellowship of the Ring  screenplay Last night I sat down with my partner to review what we accomplished during the day.  On the previous day, we agreed to each work at least 10 hours towards goals.  I had mentioned to him that I thought he would have a harder time than me because I had 9.5 hours lined up for teaching.  In his wonderful optimistic way, he didn't think it would be a problem. Well, last night I tallied my productive time and reached 11 hours.  However, when I asked him what he accomplished, he could only account for 5 hours.  Using the phrasing that works with his culture, I said, "That isn't fair."  He looked at his notes and whispered, "But I was busy all day.  I just don't k...